If Only Every Day was a Saturday.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Oh, this weekend. It was a good one. After weeks of talking about it, the boys and I packed an overnight bag and took a mini-vacation Friday night. I suppressed the urge to lug along my study materials, instead letting myself enjoy some obligation-free bonding time with my family. 

The weekend really started on Thursday, as Mario came home a day early and one of my classes was cancelled. I spent the morning learning how to run some DNA tests in the lab and catching up on some homework. It had a very relaxed vibe.


Mario made it to town and whisked me away for a quick lunch. Excited to use my new lens, I acted like a tourist and photographed anything and everything at lunch. The color saturation is ah-mazing.


Friday was pretty laid back. A five minute run to the college to turn in an assignment, then the rest of the day was mine. I ran errands, snagged a couple dozen paint chips for a project (easier than I thought), and perused Michael's for project inspiration. I am determined not to let my current creative streak dwindle. I'll let you know if it turns out. 


I'd be remiss not to mention that I watched my first episode of Downton Abbey! It really is a great show...and I'm guessing it gets better with all the excitement surrounding Season 3. For those of you who have seen it, I was a convert the moment Lord Crawley chased down the buggy and brought Mr. Bates back. The characters are so rich and the storyline perfectly complex.


Friday evening, after Mario and Jared got home from his school's ski day, we hit the road. We listened to Mockingjay, the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy, on my iPod and headed for the coast. We took a slight significant detour through Boston in order to satisfy Mario's hankering for froyo. Two closed shops and a lot of traffic later, we found a Pinkberry. 



About 15 miles outside the city is a sleepy coastal town called Hull, Massachusetts. It is pretty quiet this time of year, and we enjoyed the solitude. 


I would never tire of waking up to this.


We got up and headed out to a local breakfast joint Mario found on Yelp. It was so good, and I took so many photos, I have decided to devote a whole post to it.

After breakfast Mario took Jared to the pool for some exercise (he woke up in a terrible mood and needed to get some energy out), so I took the opportunity to take some photos on the beach. I took dozens of photos...more than will fit in this post. It was so peaceful. It started snowing and I came to the conclusion that nothing is more beautiful that snowfall on a beach.


Around noon, we headed home, stopping along the way. 


We drove by this antique store and decided to stop in. It was one of the coolest places I have ever seen! So much amazing stuff.

Next was a stop at IKEA. I say we 'stopped by', but we never get out of there in less than two hours. No big furniture purchases, but lots of little things: picture frames, curtains for our room, art, etc. Kiddo fell in love with this random cow pillow...and for two dollars, why not? 

I also scored the Aries horns I was eying at Christmastime but didn't buy in time. And on clearance? Score! While at our local Target the other day I found the perfect little lamp base for my nightstand. Unfortunately, they were completely out of small lampshades. So much for mix and match lighting! I stopped by a different store to pick up a shade and was glad I did. 

I hardly ever order fancy flavored hot drinks anymore. For some reason, I had a hankering upon seeing the coffee kiosk at Whole Foods. I chose a decaf almond milk mocha. Holy moly was that thing amazing! Best coffee drink I've had in years. Truly.


After a great evening spent watching Hotel Transylvania, followed by a good night's sleep, we spent Sunday morning lounging around. I caught up on some blog-related things, watched another two episodes of Downton Abbey, and ate from-scratch waffles with blueberries.

I framed the remaining art for our bedroom gallery walls and assembled our new bookshelf. After Jared was tucked in, I printed several PowerPoints and took notes to prep for Thursday's exam. All in all, a very productive but relaxing day. Did I mention Mario invented something called a "Chicken Parmesan Baked Potato"? It was really good!

It was nice to press the reset button once again. It will be hard getting my nose back to the grindstone, but with two exams looming, it's time to refocus my attention back to more academic things.

More weekend getaways are definitely in order.


Linking up:
stillbeingmolly

15 comments :

  1. What a fun and amazing weekend you had. There is nothing better than fun getaways with family. :) The pictures you took are pretty darn awesome!

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  2. Stopping by from TWI linkup! Looks like such a fun family vacation away! What I wouldn't give for a little time at the beach right now! Also, your pictures are great--so fun to get a new lens! Looking forward to reading more from you.

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  3. oh that looks like such a lovely weekend! im working my way into downton. i am on episode 3!!

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    1. I'm on episode 4! It was really windy yesterday and Netflix kept having to buffer, so I had to stop a few minutes in. I could have watched the whole season, so I guess it helped me pace myself. :) You'll have to tell me what you think as you progress...we can talk to each other since we are apparently WAY behind on this one! :)

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  4. Looks like a great weekend! That sushi looks amazing.

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  5. Stopping by to say hi from Mingle Monday.
    I have to ask, when does Downtown Abby come on? I've been hearing great things.

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    1. Hi Berdy! Thanks for stopping by! I'm not sure when original episodes air (I know they're on PBS), but Season 1 (and 2, I think) are on Netflix. That's where I've been watching them. It's a great show!

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  6. Total "Downton Abbey" fan here. Yes, it does get better AND addicting. Season 4 won't be broadcast in the States til January of 2014. I might have to move to London :)

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  7. Oh my gosh, what a beautiful picture of you two ... gorgeous! I'm loving the close-ups, lady.

    I just read Kathy's comment above about Downton not premiering its next season until next January. Can't do it ... I'll be buying that as soon as PBS makes it available.

    And warning : I may be posting some thoughts on the Season 3 finale on the blog tomorrow. Stay away if you don't want to know! xo

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  8. New follower for you, form the GFC collective! Love your blog. :) If you feel like stopping by my blog, I'd love it. Be sure to put your info on the map and sign up for some G-Mail. :)

    Have an awesome day!

    ​xoxo,
    Gayle | Grace for Gayle

    PS -- OMG that pie looks ah-mayyyyyyy-zing. *drool*

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  9. What a great weekend! Breakfast looks delicious!!
    We can never get out of IKEA in less than 2 hours either. My boyfriend is an architect & designer so it's like heaven to him.

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  10. Cheers to a busy, but relaxing weekend! Now I'm craving sushi and waffles! Not at the same time. I should be craving a relaxing weekend! :) Have a great week!
    Sandy
    www.savardstudios.blogspot.com

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  11. Fantastic photos!!! Sounds like a lovely weekend! :)

    xo

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  12. You're great with that camera! These are some great pics! And I love your getaway - it looks like such a beautiful and serene setting.

    Thanks so much for linking up!!

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  13. Sounds like a busy but way cool weekend! I love little roadtrips! Especially when it involves IKEA and anything beachy-which by the way, I would love to wake up to that view as well!!!

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